March 16, 2010

You... Yes, You. (Pronouns, Part 5 of 5)


There's one pronoun that one should look after especially for the writing module in the IELTS. It's the pronoun "You". Unlike in informal writing, where the pronoun "you" could refer to someone, anyone, or everyone, the writer, when using the pronoun "you" in formal writing, should really mean "you, the reader." Take note of this difference.

Example:

INFORMAL:
If you take the coastal road route, you'll arrive here soon.

FORMAL:
Motorists who take the coastal road route will arrive here soon.

There you have it. Some verb pointers are next.

Attribution to Rebecca Elliot and her book Painless Grammar (c) 2006, 1997

Other Pronoun tips:
Pronoun Basics (Pronouns, Part 1 of 5)
Weird Antecedents (Pronouns, Part 2 of 5)
The Confusing "Him" or "He" (Pronouns, Part 3 of 5)
Subjective or Objective Pronouns (Pronouns, Part 4 of 5)
You... Yes, You. (Pronouns, Part 5 of 5)